Pages

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Quinoa Salad with Asian-Style Dressing

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is the second of the two quinoa recipes I've been working on for Meatless Monday. It has a vaguely Asian flair and it is ideal for families who are trying to cut back on animal protein consumption. It also helps solve the problem of cooks who still have committed carnivores sitting at their tables. This recipe can be enhanced with shrimp for those who feel the need to consume more than seeds or grain with their meals. It is a lovely recipe that originally appeared in The New York Times. It is really easy to assemble and the Asian-style dressing appeals to a broad range of diners. I would caution that the recipe, as written, makes an awful lot of dressing for the quantity of ingredients actually used in the salad. The first time I made this dish I thought the ingredients were drowning in salad dressing. I've since cut way back on the amount of dressing I use when making this. The bitterness that many associate with quinoa can be avoided by a thorough rinsing of the seeds before they are boiled. I actually toast and rinse mine before using them. This salad is packed with flavor and I think you'll enjoy it for lunch or a light supper. Here's the recipe.

Directions:1) In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together lime juice, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic, salt, cayenne, sesame oil, canola oil, and buttermilk.2) In a salad bowl, combine the quinoa, scallions, cucumber, and cilantro. Toss with dressing and divide among salad plates. Top each portion with 3 or 4 shrimp if desired, and serve. Yield: 4 servings.

59 comments
:

Your blog is a delight! When we return home, the Lime Curd recipe will be tried out!! Thank you for visiting me too...I hope to post a photo of the crab cakes we enjoyed at an Anchorage restaurant the other night. While they were excellent, it was the tartar sauce that accompanied it - yum! Made with chopped artichoke hearts...Have a good week.

I never knew to rinse and toast- my family is not fond of quinoa- but now I'm wondering if it's because I prepared it wrong- we all love couscous and personally I find the two similar in taste- Thanks!

Mary, I am assuming you rinse the quinoa & then toast? I really like that idea. Anything toasted has so much more flavor. This quinoa sounds great. I never would have thought to do the buttermilk & sesame oil together. Sounds wonderful!

Thank you for the tip about cutting back on the dressing, Mary. It is a discouraging thing to make a delicious dish and then find it swimming in too much dressing. :-) I love quinoa salads very much and am excited about this Asian inspired one. :-)

Mary, Thank you so much for the tips on quinoa. I love using this grain for it's protein value and hadn't considered toasting it- you're brillant! Both your salad's will be on my list to try in the next few weeks.

I've only tried quinoa once, and I was so disappointed because it tasted AWFUL. I now know to rinse the stuff first, but I've been too gunshy to try again. Maybe if I rinse well and toast like you suggest it will turn out better for me!

great looking combination... I had quinoa for dinner and everytime I have it I ask myself, why don't I eat this more often. It is sooo good for you. Love the dressing recipe... must be great with the grain.

Quinoa is indeed the grain of the future, for the reasons you have mentioned!Your salad is indeed interesting and worth trying. I just love those white rings that form in quinoa after it is cooked- gives it a unique character.

I am such a big new fan of quinoa and since we have cut back on animal fat consumption at my house, I'm always in search of good meatless dishes. This Asian infused salad sounds perfect! Love your blog!

Privacy Policy

This blog does not share personal information with third-parties nor does it store information about your visit for use other than to analyze content performance through the use of cookies, which you can turn off at anytime by modifying your Internet browser's settings. Third party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a a users prior visits to this website. Google's use of the DoubleClick cookie enables it and its partners to serve ads. This blog is not responsible for the republishing of the content found here on other Web sites or media without the owners permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice